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Dir: Richard Linklater (15 124 mins)
A curiously inert drama from the director of Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s latest is a cousin of sorts to Hal Ashby’s 1973 film The Last Detail, as three former US servicemen reunite and mull over their pasts. Steve Carrell plays Mac, whose son has been killed overseas whilst serving for the US Marines. Tracking down old friends Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston, the three go on a road trip, reminiscing, arguing and musing on the state of the world. It should crackle but, despite the best efforts of all involved, it feels a little forced, half-wisecracking comedy, half-mawkish melodrama. There appears to be a better film in here about masculinity and service to one’s country despite disagreeing with the politics that have brought you there, but it’s a little muddied and inconsequential. As a snapshot of humanity, like Linklater’s excellent Before… trilogy, it occasionally succeeds, but mostly remains sluggish.
Opens January 26